Our team of experts at Ruan have collected insights on regulations that fleets may commonly violate or overlook during a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) audit and also best practices that fleets should consider implementing. We hope to be a resource for your organization, as keeping up with these can be overwhelming. Let us help you keep your fleet compliant.
As a shipper, here are 10 questions we encourage organizations to ask their own fleet or their current logistics provider.
1. Are you proactive in alerts and processes for upcoming driver expirations?
Keeping constant tabs on driver expirations of all kinds helps keep carriers in check. Whether it's endorsements, hazmat, medical cards or CDL. Keep a solid process of maintaining compliance with various expiration dates.
2. Are you performing ongoing MVR monitoring?
Running an MVR once a year is the bare minimum requirement. Knowing what is happening on the MVR the rest of the year keeps carriers in the know.
3. Are you running a driver's MVR within 14 days after a new physical?
Each new medical card supersedes the old medical card (regardless of the expiration date). Are all medical cards being sent to the State DMV? After the new card is sent to the DMV, it's the carrier’s responsibility to run a new MVR to ensure the medical card is reflected.
4. Are your drivers legally using Personal Conveyance (PC)?
There are nearly 400 violation types that the FMCSA has published that ranks the number of violations for each type. Ranking number 33 is "False record of duty status driver improper use of Personal Conveyance." While business models can be different, Ruan encourages companies to really ask if drivers need to use PC. What can be done to avoid using PC, as statistics show it's used incorrectly quite often. If there's truly no need, remove the exposure.
Source: A&I online – Motor Carrier Analysis and Information Resources Online
5. Are you running Limited Queries from the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse each year?
Running a full query in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (with release from the driver) when a CDL holder is hired, is not the end of the requirements. Ensure limited queries are performed at least once per year.
6. Are you reviewing your Unassigned Vehicle Activity?
Every mile must be documented and recorded. This includes miles going to and from a shop or on a private roadway. Have a solid process in place to document or assign miles appropriately.
7. Are work orders being completed and documented appropriately?
If there are write-ups after a roadside inspection, are the work orders documented and tracked? Each inspection, each repair, and each piece of equipment must tell the full story in a documented format.
8. Are you monitoring your Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) scores?
CSA scores are released each month. Are scores accurately representing company information? Are the scores over the threshold in any Behavior Analysis & Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs)? Make a plan for improvement or DataQ items to keep your scores in-check.
9. Are your driver qualifications still being met after hire?
Carriers hire drivers with certain required qualifications. What steps are taken to regulate if a driver no longer meets these requirements?
10. Are your onboard videos secure?
On-board video programs can help exonerate a driver, but what security policies do companies have in place for sharing, downloading, or viewing those videos? Creating best practices for those videos to be kept internal is crucial.
If you're feeling overwhelmed with regulatory requirements, keeping up with the changes, or if you're not sure if your current provider could pass an FMCSA audit, let us be a trusted partner to help guide you and keep your fleet compliant. Email Allison Meiners for insight and assistance.